


Live Right For The Moment

by wolfintestines



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Community: HPFT, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-05-28
Packaged: 2018-07-10 15:52:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6992218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfintestines/pseuds/wolfintestines
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Title from "Ramona" by Beck</p><p>Remus and Tonks spontaneously decide to get married in a tavern called The Mickle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Live Right For The Moment

The Mickle was a tiny tavern with a persistence to stay open. Somehow, The Mickle always scrambled up enough cash to ensure that the bills were always paid. It was unclear whether or not it was true that the Squib owner relied on the Muggle stock market to fund The Mickle. The Mickle was not well-known even in the Wizarding community it resided in. The only people to visit The Mickle were a handful of locals that frequented it every weekend or daily, depending on whether or not they had a job at the time. It was a place people mainly went to drown their sorrows, but some viewed it as a place to celebrate victories such as finishing another week of work.

When he was young, Remus was spent many a night at The Mickle. It served as a place to stay in between times he was searching for a bungalow with the cheapest rent. The cramped quarters were the only reason why Remus didn’t consider staying at The Mickle permanently. Besides, it lacked a shower, and a sink cleansing was inadequate for Muggle jobs that required outdoor labor in the summer. The owner of the tavern once offered a job to Remus. It was tempting, but Remus resisted the offer since he rarely paid in full, so it seemed unfair to take a job from the generous owner. Besides, the owner was unaware of Remus’ lycanthropy, Bringing up his condition always resulted in an awkward conversation. Since it was a volatile topic capable of changing people’s opinions of him, Remus kept his mouth shut and continued with his series of jobs. He still didn’t regret turning down the job at The Mickle since one of the perks of working there was being permitted to consume free bottomless drinks on and off the job.

For Remus, entering The Mickle for the first time in several years was almost like stopping by home. The tavern had remained unchanged since Remus had stepped in there four years ago. The same Friday night crowd was present, but Remus never talked to anyone but the bartender or the owner whenever he was at The Mickle, so he wasn’t acquainted with the regulars. Remus considered the possibility that a Time-Turner had taken him back in time. Remus checked the time on the clock on the wall, but then he remembered it was broken. It had been broken for at least a decade. Remus cast a spell to repair the clock, unsure of why he or anyone else hadn’t already done so.

A man with a guitar strapped to his back came through the back door and sat on a barstool to tune his instrument. He turned his head to the bartender as he fiddled with the guitar. “Who’s the couple getting married?“

The bartender pointed to Remus and answered, “Dere’s one ‘alf o’er dere. ‘Ey, Remus!”

Remus walked up to the bar and claimed a spot on one of the empty stools. “Long time no see, Hollis.”

“It’s good tuh see ya. Where’s de sweety, Remus?”

“She’s coming. She’ll be here soon enough. I could use a shot of Firewhiskey.”

As Remus pulled out his wallet, Hollis waved his hand. “No need tuh do dat. It’s on de ‘ouse tonight tuh ease de ner’es.”

“Thank you.” Remus accepted the shot of Firewhiskey.

The guitarist remarked, “Hey, I know you. You were my Defence Against the Dark Arts professor when I was a seventh year.”

It took a moment for Remus to place the guitar player. Though his hair was now straggly and long, he was certainly Dick Crocker, the kid who always reeked of Gillyweed. The scent of Gillyweed was still present, and Remus felt lighter as the Firewhiskey burned his throat and the stench of Gillyweed worked its way through his nose. In his class, Dick was an excellent student, but he apparently skipped the rest of his classes and dropped out of Hogwarts.

Dick continued, “Yes, Professor Lupin. I don’t even remember the rest of my teachers.”

The constant use of drugs had apparently damaged Dick’s memory, and Remus felt sorry that the bright wizard had ruined his potential. “You had far more capable teachers than me.”

“Well, your class was the only one I bothered to attend seventh year. Say, you’re pretty dope for getting married in a place like this.” Dick spread his arms out as if to encompass the tavern. “Might as well get married at a bar.”

“This is somewhat of a shotgun wedding, in the sense that it wasn’t necessarily planned. Fortunately, The Mickle was gracious enough to allow us to marry here.”

“Of course, I know I’m destined to be a bachelor for life, but if I had to get married, I would definitely have the whole shebang in a tavern like this. Be shit-faced before, during, and after the wedding.”

Remus bursted out laughing, and Dick joined in. Hollis slid Remus another shot, so Remus gladly downed it. The bartender also provided Dick a shot of Firewhiskey, who greedily gulped it. Before Hollis could replenish his shot glass, Remus told him, “I better not drink anymore.”

“I un’erstand. Ya don’t wanna be piss-drunk when ya git murried.” The bartender chortled, spilling a bit of Firewhiskey on the countertop.

Remus nodded and looked at his clothes. He was wearing a plain dark grey robe that was not tattered, which was dressy for The Mickle, but he wondered if he should have donned something more appropriate for a wedding, even if it was being held at a dingy tavern in the middle of nowhere. A white dress robe would have looked outlandish here, but it would have least marked that Remus was not here for a Friday night of drinking with a round or two of pumpkin cider pong. Remus was sure he had worn this robe to buy groceries plenty of times before. He also regretted his choice of location. Of course he and Tonks needed to wed in a nondescript place due to the discrimination against werewolves and the state of the Wizarding world, but a secluded meadow would have been a more romantic destination.

Remus became concerned about recounting the wedding for all of his friends. He and Tonks would have to admit that they had gotten married in a tiny tavern where strangers were able to witness the ceremony while their own friends and family were at home at the time, unaware of the deed. It was embarrassing to think about confessing the state of the wedding to his nearest and dearest.

Tonks cared little about the details of the wedding, so Remus was not worried about her being disappointed with the lack of elegance, but his issue with the wedding was more a personal matter. He was not a spontaneous person like Tonks. The wedding was a spur of the moment idea they had concocted the night before. For some reason, not a lot of thought went into Remus’ part of the discussion, and he simply went along with Tonks’ logic of the unpredictable climate of the Second Wizarding War and how they should marry in case tragedy strikes. Remus regretted to agreeing with his soon-to-be-wife’s asinine idea.

Remus shook his head to derail his train of thought. “You have any absinthe?” He had only drank it once when Sirius had managed to nick a bottle to celebrate completing their last NEWT. It was awful cheap absinthe that caused them to camp out in the bathroom the day after drinking it, but it was the best night Remus had spent drunk.

“Oh, Remus, ‘course I do. It’s de Witch’s Brew, de strongest drink known tuh man. ” Hollis poured some into a glass and passed the glass to Remus. “‘Ere ya go.”

Remus eagerly pounded it. He placed the glass down after he finished it. “A bit more, if you don’t mind, Hollis.”

Hollis obliged him, but as he handed the glass of absinthe to Remus, he warned, “Ya bedder watch it.”

“You know me,” Remus started. He let it hang in the air as he downed the absinthe. “I’ll be in the loo. Save my spot if Tonks doesn’t show up while I’m gone.”

“Will do,” Hollis promised.

Remus entered the men's’ restroom. He took a look at himself in the grime-coated mirror. His ginger-tinted beard had always looked somewhat odd with his mousy ash brown hair, but he had never paid it much attention until now. Remus supposed he ought to have shaved before leaving home. He had been too worried about getting through the Apparition checkpoints witches and wizards are required to go through when Apparating internationally to stress over his appearance. Remus never liked Apparition checkpoints since they always searched him thoroughly only because he was a werewolf. It was as if he was a danger in the daytime. Tonight was a new moon even. Still, Apparition checkpoint officials combed him for threats.

Before the fear of marrying Tonks could strike him, Remus forgot about using the loo and retreated back to the bar for another drink of absinthe. Dick, who had a lit joint in his mouth, commented, “You’re nervous.”

Remus replied, “Of course I am.” He was suddenly embraced from the back, and Remus knew instantly that it was Tonks.

“He is worried about having me at his house all of the time,” Tonks teased.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Remus joked.

Remu stood up to hold Tonks in his arms and fully appreciate her embrace. Tonks was always warm and tiny in his arms, and she smelled like pomegranates. He traced her scent to a perfume she had gotten at an intimate engagement party her mum had hosted. Remus pecked the top of Tonks’ currently blonde head. He didn’t feel so bad only wearing a plain robe since Tonks was dressed in a pale blue everyday robe.

“Something blue,” Remus noted.

Tonks added, “Something old, too. My something new is my hair. It’s never been so golden. My something borrowed is my unicorn tights.”

Before Tonks could pull up her robe to reveal that she was indeed wearing unicorn tights, Hollis motioned to a corner of the room, and Dick began strumming his guitar as he got off of his stool to walk over to the corner. Remus and Tonks walked over to the corner the guitarist stopped at. The couple caught the attention of The Mickle’s patrons.

The young marriage officiant Apparated on top of the guitarist, and the two came crashing down. The bartender scolded, “Bloody ‘ell, I told ya tah Apparate in de woods close by. Ya bedder be glad dat ya didn’t Apparate on some bloody bloke dat’s payin’!”

“Well, I was pressed for time,” the marriage officiant excused as he stood to his feet. Remus wondered if he was even seventeen, but perhaps he was just a baby-faced adult. With his star-printed purple robe, the marriage officiant did not seem professional. However, Remus couldn’t afford to be picky since he and Tonks had shockingly procured a wedding officiant in such a short amount of time. Remus pondered the possibility of being a marriage officiant as the marriage officiant cleared his throat and prepared for the ceremony. “Alright, alright. Good to go. So you must be Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Coraline Tonks, yes?”

“We are,” the couple confirmed.

“Very good. I’m at the right place, and the right people are at the right place. All is well.”

“Thanks for knocking me down,” Dick chided to the marriage officiant. The guitarist restarted the song.

The marriage officiant cleared his throat again. “You two are here to be united as one, Remus John Lupin and Nymphadora Coraline Tonks. We gather today-Well, since none of your folks on here, there’s no need to elaborate, right? I might as well cut to the chase, since all you care about is going home to fuck each other tenderly. Do you, Remus, take Nymphadora to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do,” Remus swore.

“And you, Nymphadora-”

“Of course I do!” she proclaimed.

“Well, then, I now pronounce you husband and wife! Remus, you may kiss the bride!”

Remus was no stranger to kissing Tonks. In their few months of dating, his lips had become well-acquainted with hers and their tongues had intertwined countless times. Their first kiss as a married couple was still electric, though. He was well-aware that Tonks was over the moon about being Mrs. Lupin. This fact comforted him. Remus’ fear was replaced with faith in the future. In these dark times, it was difficult to be positive. Your neighbor could be your enemy. Your friend could be your enemy. Your family could be your enemy. That belief had been stressed many times over the years. For the first time in a while, Remus liked being able to count on Tonks. It wasn’t the same way he knew he couldn’t evade a werewolf transformation or a loss of a job. He was certain that Tonks would never leave his side, and he not only accepted this, he appreciated her devotion to him.

Remus finally became aware of the wolf-whistling and clapping from the drunk and almost drunk people at The Mickle. Some may not have been aware of whom they were cheering for, but they still joined in on the applause. The Mickle was not known for hosting weddings, so the people not listening simply had to guess the couple accomplished something remarkable.

“Oh, Remus,” Tonks said in a daze. She had been waiting for this moment for a few years, and Remus was honored to be the source of her glee.

In her ear, Remus murmured, “Nymphadora Coraline Lupin.”

“Oh, Remus,” Tonks repeated, still in a dream-like state. “You’re finally my husband.”

Tonks did not have the fairytale wedding, and although she did not desire it, Remus believed she deserved a grand celebration. He knew he could only give her so much. Rather, he could only give her so little. As she looked into his eyes with a look of pure adoration, Remus tried to push back the feeling that he did not deserve her. He found that emotions came back around and could only be kept at bay for so long, but tonight, he was not going to let the thoughts plague him.

Instead, Remus pulled her in for another kiss. Tonks’ hands gripped his hair, and his arms wrapped around her waist. Their tongues tangled up, and Remus imagined they resembled the gnarled roots of the Whomping Willow. It was the sort of inappropriate snogging that should be designated to dark corners and private rooms, but the newly weds disregarded that. A Welsh man was French kissing an English woman in a Scottish tavern; it was the closest the couple would ever have to a worldly experience.

When the couple pulled apart, Remus asked, “Do you want to come over to my cottage or tell your parents?”

“Let’s go to our home,” Tonks requested.

When she called his modest cottage home, Remus started to fully accept that Tonks was not blindly in love with someone just because he loved her. It was something he told himself countless times before and countless times tonight, but he could no longer deny that Tonks was in love with him, despite all of his physical and mental scars. As they Apparated home, Remus only regretted chugging the most potent absinthe in the Wizarding world since he wished he could remember every detail of their first time making love.


End file.
